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Editor's note:This article is a part of a series reviewing Utah history for KSL.com's Historic section.LAYTON — A Vietnam Memorial Wall replica of the one in the nation’s capital is set to be dedicated at a ceremony Saturday evening.
“It is a memorial that belongs to all veterans of Utah, here in Layton City, and it’s the result of a great partnership between the city and our veterans organization,” said Dennis Howland, president of Vietnam Veterans of America.
Volunteers have spent the past few days putting the final touches on the memorial wall, which like the one in Washington, D.C., includes the names of those who died or went missing in action during the Vietnam War. It holds 58,317 names (including eight nurses), though the U.S. officially lists 58,220 American casualties in the war. The difference in numbers varies based on data, according to the Vietnam Memorial Wall website.
The U.S. government list includes 361 soldiers from Utah who died or went missing in action, and Howland said six were from Layton. More than 40,000 soldiers were killed in action and the vast majority of deaths reported in the wars happened in South Vietnam.
The Layton memorial was proposed by Howland, who contacted Layton city officials and other cities in the state about the project. Joy Petro, a Layton City Council member who has been a part of the project since its inception, said city officials fell in love with the idea immediately.
“This was an opportunity we did not want to pass by,” she said.
The design includes the giant replica wall within Layton Commons Park, 465 N. Wasatch Drive. The planning began about five years ago, Howland said.
Howland, a Vietnam War veteran who left the war 51 years ago, said he vowed to create something to honor his fellow soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the war before he died.
“It’s something important to me,” he said. “I have friends on the wall. I have 26 kids from my hometown in Iowa on the wall, so it’s going to be an emotional day when we dedicate it. … So we’re kind of bringing (the soldiers) home.”
While the wall was being finished earlier this weekend, more volunteers also laid down sod and planted flowers near the wall before Saturday’s ceremony.
The event starts at 5 p.m. and is free to the public. A dedication ceremony for the memorial will begin at 6 p.m., and a USO Tribute Show, which Howland likened to a Bob Hope-type event, is slated for 8 p.m.
“This is genuine history in the making,” Petro said of the project and ceremony. “It’s nice that Layton is able to be a part of that and have the ground. … I think it would be awesome if we could get 58,317 people here to show our appreciation for the Vietnam vets, and actually, all the people who sacrifice their lives or currently serving to say thank you.”
